Today I want to talk a little bit about where my writing has been going recently. Since I finished writing The Prince's Quest, I've worked on other various projects including Up the Scarlet Staircase and some short stories... Before Dusk, Do You Remember When We Met?, and Butterfly. I've had lots of fun with these projects-- I'm especially proud of Before Dusk, which is an experimental piece for me-- but I miss my 'baby.' So at long last, I began the process of writing the second draft of The Prince's Quest.
I'm only about 5000 words in, and I'm using the original as a formula, and making changes where they are needed. I am re-writing, not just revising, so I'm not using a lot of the original wording, and changing minor details in some cases.
Here's my decision on re-writing. I actual have found it enjoyable in a way. There isn't the same feeling of adventure that you have when you are writing a first draft, when you sometimes don't know everything about the characters, and some pieces of the plot haven't quite fit into place. But that's also a pro. Because I know where the story is headed, I have more freedom to expand on my earlier ideas. I know what I'm doing, in a sense. I also feel like I can delve deeper into the characters.
Like I said, I'm only about 5000 words in, so I'm not expert. And I probably won't ever be. 10,000 words down the road I might despise re-writing. I already have all these short story urges that I sometimes entertain since I can write them faster than a novel. But I'm hoping I can enjoy this process even more than I am now. If I can dedicate a little time to it every day, Draft 2 could be here in a short time.
What stage are you at in writing? Do you ever feel like you've hit a block? Or are just too busy to write?
Thanks for reading!
~ a rambling author
3 comments:
I'm just starting second round edits on one of my novels, which is awesome. I read it through last night, and even though I recognised that the writing was bad, I really enjoyed the storyline, so I think that's a success. I've actually just got over a bit of a block at the moment. I was burnt out after April Camp NaNo, but refused to believe that I needed rest. Yeah, turned out I needed time off. Oops.
Right now I'm almost finished with my first draft. I have two that need revised and re-written though. (one way more than the other) I keep putting them off because I like the excitement of the new stories, and re-writing seems so long and daunting XP
Imogen: Ooh cool! Isn't it great when you realize that you have a good foundation? Even if that foundation needs to be built on, you've got that, which is awesome. Also, yeah, when you do Camp NaNo burning out can be a side effect. I'm glad you're over the block now though!
Maddie: I understand that! I felt the same way, but trust me, if you just do a little bit, even every week... you'll find it isn't so daunting. It took me forever to start because I felt that way, but now I'm loving it.
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